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Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor is a now-deceased supervillain. He was the arch-enemy of Superman and was the father/controller of 49th President of the United States of America Lena Luthor History Ancestry Some of Lex's ancestors were among the pilgrims who founded the city of Metropolis, others were amongst the Native Americans who were there to meet them. Over the centuries, the Luthor family became wealthy and influential, Lex's great-grandfather Wallace Luthor being a millionaire industrialist at the beginning of the 20th Century. He lost his fortune though, in the stock market crash of 1929, and went to his grave a pauper after having to declare bankruptcy. The family fortune would not be rebuilt until the arrival of Lex Luthor, the son of abusive alcoholic Lionel Luthor and his wife Letitia. Early Life Lex cared little for his parents, though he did love his sister Lena. In his teens, he lived for a time in Smallville with his aunt, also called Lena, and there met the young Clark Kent and his friends Lana Lang and Pete Ross. The stand-offish and superior Lex was friendly with Clark for a time, but eventually left Smallville under a cloud of suspicion after his father died in mysterious circumstances (engineered by Lex to benefit from a huge life insurance policy, though this could not be proved). Leaving his sister in Smallville, Lex went to Metropolis and founded LexCorp. Corporate World Lex turned his company into a multi-national corporation that would ultimately come to dominate the city of Metropolis and own every media in the city and use it to enforce his public image as a wealthy benefactor. The one paper outlet that had always stood free was the Daily Planet. One such critic was the reporter and later Editor In Chief Perry White, whom Luthor detested, due to his outspoken attitudes, even when the Planet condemned his actions with an outrageous editorial signed by White himself. As a result, shortly before Superman's arrival, the newspaper was almost bankrupt, dilapidated and unable to afford new reporters. Luthor made many criminal connections and industries, anything to help him rise to be the unchallenged master of Metropolis. His legitimate businesses attached to LexCorp stretched from anything from telephone companies to personal gaming devices. As part of his image, Lex created the illusion of being a caring philanthropist. He became the most powerful man in Metropolis, both financially and in the world of organized crime. Lex would create havoc on the streets by selling weapons to the gangs of Metropolis and using his primarily female staff of underlings to keep blackmail files on all of the major organized crime groups in the city, so that Lex could use them to further any schemes he had planned. However, this all ended with the arrival of Superman. Supervillainy As part of his philanthropic image Luthor, by this time the most powerful man in Metropolis, had taken to picking a random person from the supplicants who gathered at LexCorp's gates every morning in order to bestow the chance of a new life upon them. His choice on this occasion, though, was Rudy Jones who, after eating a donut contaminated by an unknown chemical compound, was transformed into the Parasite. Superman stopped the Parasite's rampage, overshadowing Luthor and infuriating him. Luthor vowed to destroy Superman for this humiliation, and devoted much time and energy to that goal; he was a man driven to be the best, having fought his way up from lowly beginnings by his own (dubious) efforts, and was resentful of how Superman was given his powers by random fate of birth. Superman survived subsequent attempts Luthor made on his life, but struggled to prove Luthor's role in the attacks. Aside from Lex's immense wealth and connections, he was able to weasel his way out of trouble due to the fact that Superman, being liable as a witness, would have to reveal his true identity in court to testify against him. Apparent Death Part of his protection from Superman was Lex's use of Kryptonite - he regularly used it to develop weapons, subjected it to radiation to create new forms, and even fashioned a kryptonite ring for himself he wore at all times. However, his belief that kryptonite radiation was "clean" to humans proved incorrect: Luthor eventually suffered from severe cancer. His hand requires amputation to prevent the cancer's spread, but by then it had already metastasised, and his condition was terminal. Luthor was able to slow the growth of the cancer using his scientific skill but it was a stopgap at best. Worse, the stress of the disease and the side-effects of the treatments were making him even more unhinged than usual. He ceased to be a subtle manipulator from the background and became a power-suit wearing thug, desperate to kill Superman with what little time he had left. Eventually, Luthor's psyche completely cracked and he decided he couldn't bear to die eaten by his cancer. Using one of his old LexCorp private jets and went on a joy ride. Several days later, the wreckage of the plane was found crashed in the Andes. DNA tests on remains found within confirmed that Lex Luthor's body was present. Unknown to others at the time, however, Luthor had managed to copy his neutral patterns onto a computer chip for implanting into another subject. Legacy Following the events of World War III and the growth in anti-metahuman and anti-superhuman feelings, Lex Luthor as a character was re-evaulated by those who felt that his opinions of superheroes had been proven correct. Even Superman suffered in the backlash to World War III. Although the rise of a new generation of superheroes in the 2030s and the foundation of a new Justice League International marked a turning point in attitudes, metahuman activity remains a divisive topic and the distinctive "Luthor Was Right" logo became a symbol of those who feel that superpowered vigilantes make the world a more dangerous place. Family Lex Luthor was married several times, all briefly and with what seemed somewhat mercenary goals. His last wife, Contessa Erica Alexandra Del Portenza, was no exception - she bought shares in his business during legal proceedings against Lex and marrying her was the only way to get this back. However, she was the mother of his only child, Lena Luthor - the agent by which he would make his return. Return & Subsequent Defeat Luthor's neutral chip was implanted in the head of Lena Luthor and from that point her personality was overwritten by his, allowing him to continue life. Disguised in her body he was able to reclaim control of his empire, avoid the legal attention Lex had attracted and gain public affection that a villain of Superman could never gain. Luthor was able to manipulate the American people into voting Lena as resident of the United States of America, exercising power at the highest level and keeping meta-human tensions stoked to prevent a return of the superheroes. He even had Uncle Sam arrested and contained within the Pentagon to prevent him from notifying anyone that the President of the United States of America was a supervillain. In 2035 the Justice League International was reformed and Luthor threw everything he could at badmouthing the organization, capitalizing on public opinion wherever he could. He even reformed Task Force X, a programme for recruiting villains to work for the government to pay off their debt to society - allowing him to form an Injustice League. In the end, however, the magic of Uncle Sam and deductive powers of Detective Chimp revealed the true identity of the president and the Justice League dismantled his Injustice League and apprehended him. Luthor was arrested, his chip removed from Lena's body and placed in a synthetic brain in a jar - the body considered a "criminally acquired asset" it was essentially repossessed. Luthor was put into Stryker's Island prison outside Metropolis pending trial. Appearance Lex Luthor was a thin, prematurely balding man who once had lustrous red hair. His striking features, well-built body and charming smile helped him cement his place as a business mogul and political character. Even at the end of his life, he had a somewhat "ageless" look which could have been as young as early thirties. Often a snappy dresser, he was usually in designer suits. In his more supervillain moments, Lex Luthor wore a bright green and purple warsuit that bulked up his appearance considerably. Sometimes this featured a purple "L" motif on the chest. For several decades, Luthor appeared in the body of his daughter Lena. Powers Lex Luthor possesses no innate metahuman powers. However, he possesses a genius level intellect that arguably makes him one of the smartest people alive. This mental acumen, combined with a bit of luck, made him one of the most shrewd businessmen in the world, a trait that has earned him an immense fortune second only to entrepreneurs like Bruce Wayne. Unlike Wayne however, Luthor is not above using cut-throat tactics, unethical practices and illegal operations to maintain the success of his business empire. At the height of Lexcorp's power, Lex Luthor virtually owned every business enterprise in the city of Metropolis. When battling Superman, he was known to use a warsuit which allowed him to compete more equally with Superman. This suit granted him super strength, durability, flight, force field generation all across the armor and the seemingly unprotected head from the torso of the powered armor, Kryptonite-attuned energy blasts and an energy blade in right gauntlet. It also contained multiple different types of Kryptonite built into the fists including Green, Red, Blue and Black Kryptonite. Allies and Enemies Allies * Nasthalthia Luthor, Lex's niece. * Metallo, fellow anti-Superman supervillain * Parasite, fellow anti-Superman supervillain Enemies * The Daily Planet newspaper, Metropolis' bastion of free press * Superman, The Man of Steel Category:Characters Category:NPCs Category:Supervillians